A growing number of travelers are visiting northeastern China's Heilongjiang Province to enjoy lower temperatures and much more during the warmer season. The province's cool weather makes it a hot summer destination – one whose appeal is warming up as more people discover its seasonal allure.

Heilongjiang has unveiled new measures to draw more young people, families and tourists who like to travel by car, announcing its "road-trip year" as well as three itineraries for drivers.

One leads from China's easternmost city, Fuyuan, to the country's northernmost county, Mohe, and explores the China-Russia border. Another retraces the route of the historical Chinese Eastern Railway, which was completed in the early 1900s, from Manzhouli on the Hulunbuir grasslands to Suifenhe City on the border with Russia. The third follows defense outposts built during the Qing Dynasty and includes the route between the Greater Hinggan Mountains and Mohe.

Heilongjiang's tourism development commission also released a short online film, Forest Summer, about four groups who travel through Heilongjiang during the season.

"We work to tell Heilongjiang's story in the best way. The answer turns out to be visitors' own experiences," the commission's deputy director, Hou Wei, said at a Beijing event. "Their assessments (of Heilongjiang) and memories are important. The video will inspire people to visit."

"Heilongjiang is a well-known winter destination and is striving to promote itself as a summer destination for children, young people and the elderly," says Wang Zheng, who's in charge of domestic business of Aoyou.com, an online-booking website under China Youth Travel Service. "It's good for family trips," she adds.

Many who book trips to Heilongjiang via Aoyou.com are from northern Chinese locations such as Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province. The numbers have continued to rise over the years. Most of the site's summertime tours in Heilongjiang range from five to eight days and cost an average of 3,000 yuan (470 US dollars) per person.

The reedy wetlands of Qiqihar City's Zhalong National Nature Reserve are home to six of China's nine crane species, including endangered red-crested cranes. Guides can teach kids about the ecosystems and wildlife. Other popular sites for kids in the provincial capital, Harbin, include the Heilongjiang Science and Technology Museum, the Siberian Tiger Park and Harbin Polarland. Emerging destinations include Yichun and Heihe.

"More tourists are booking cars with drivers or driving themselves to visit Yichun in recent years," says Zhang Shugang, who provides independent travelers with chartered-car services in the city. Yichun is known for its ecology. And the city's vast area means fewer crowds than in some destinations."

Zhang recommends visiting the city's enormous natural parks, such as the Tangwang River and Maolan Valley, to see magnificent waterfalls, clean lakes, deep valleys, exotic peaks and rock formations. That's not to mention the rich biodiversity.

Indeed, a growing number of summertime visitors to Heilongjiang are discovering cool places in cool weather during the warmest months.